Led by an amazing performance from freshman quarterback Jackson Stecher, The Master’s Academy (11-1) outlasted Nova Southeastern University (9-3) from Fort Lauderdale in a shootout, 49-42, to repeat as Sunshine State Athletic Association 11-Man Football State Champion Saturday night at The Villages’ HG Morse Stadium.
The Eagles and Sharks traded scores throughout the contest which was tied 14-14 after one quarter and 28-28 at halftime. TMA held a 35-34 advantage after the third quarter.
The final period was more of the same and was tied at 42-42 when Stecher tossed his fourth touchdown pass of the game for 29 yards to Davon Washington with under a minute to play.
University was driving for the game-tying touchdown, but the Eagles preserved the victory when defensive lineman Trey Chadwick came up with a 4th-down quarterback sack with 11-seconds left in the contest.
Stecher, who also led TMA to the State Championship as an 8th-Grader in 2023, was unbelievable, completing 13-of-14 pass attempts for 217-yards with no interceptions and four touchdowns. But the freshman also had a career night on the ground, carrying the ball seven times for 124 yards and two more touchdowns.
The Eagles of Head Coach Garrett Kruczek, the former Lake Howell quarterback, also got touchdowns from Washington (two touchdowns), O’Shea Faison, Sawyer Smith and Oakley Foster.
Meanwhile, the Florida High School Athletic Association (FHSAA) opened its playoffs with the Regional Quarterfinals on Friday and as it has been most of the season, Lake Mary (9-2) and Seminole (9-1) led the way.
Standout junior quarterback Noah Grubbs completed all seven of his passes in the first half, four for touchdowns, as host Lake Mary built a 35-7 halftime lead and quickly started the running clock in the third quarter as the Rams humbled DeLand (5-6), 49-14, in a Class 7A-Region 1 Quarterfinal at Don T. Reynolds Stadium.
Grubbs, Notre Dame commit, finished the night 11-for-14 for 239-yards and five touchdowns.
Grubbs’ main target was Chase Hinshaw, who caught five passes for 142 yards and three touchdowns. Carson Friedman (2-receptions, 12-yards) and Brian Williams Jr. (1-reception, 29-yards) also had receiving touchdowns.
Jaysen Soto led the Lake Mary ground game with 42-yards on just two carries, one of which went for a touchdown.
The other Rams score came on a 52-yard punt return by Parker Perales.
Despite being the No. 2 seed in Class 7A-Region 1, Seminole had to go on the road as an At Large team in the Quarterfinals and found itself in early trouble, trailing host Creekside (5-6), 14-7 after one quarter and 14-10 at halftime.
But the Fighting Seminoles offense came to life in the second half, as the guests won the third quarter, 14-0, and held on for a 38-28 victory.
Junior quarterback Michael Clayton II returned from injury to complete 23-of-26 passes for 377-yards and two touchdowns with one interception.
Devon Voltaire was the main target for Clayton, catching 14 passes for 280-yards and a touchdown. Anthony Gay III caught six passes for 78-yards, while Langston Wade scored a 3-yard touchdown on his only catch of the game.
Khamani Robinson had a good night on the ground, carrying the ball 13 times for 61 yards and three touchdowns.
This Friday in the Regional Semifinals will be an old-fashioned Seminole County/Volusia County showdown with Lake Mary welcoming Spruce Creek to Don T. Reynolds Stadium and Seminole hosting Orange City-University at Thomas E. Whigham Stadium, setting up a potential Regional Championship Game at Lake Mary between the Rams and Noles on Friday, November 29.
The only disappointment of the weekend was Oviedo (8-3) dropping a 49-21 decision to powerful Pace (10-1) in a Class 6A-Region 1 Quarterfinal in the Panhandle.
Lions quarterback Jerome Curry was 17-for-32 passing for 170-yards and two touchdowns.
Carmari Solomon (4-receptions, 51-yards) and Dashon Febres (2-receptions, 16-yards) had the touchdown catches, while Jordon Donahoo led all receivers with seven catches for 101-yards.
Chance Nixon scored the other Oviedo touchdown, carrying the ball 14-times for a team-high 50-yards.
Here are the SSAA Championship results and this week’s FHSAA schedule:
Sunshine State Athletics Association Playoffs
11-Man State Championship
Saturday, November 16
The Range at H. G. Morse Stadium, The Villages
(1) The Master's Academy 49, (1) NSU University 42.
FHSAA Playoffs
Quarterfinals
Friday, November 15
Class 6A-Region 1
(3) Pace 49, (6) Oviedo 21.
Class 7A-Region 1
(1) Lake Mary 49, (8) DeLand 14.
(5) Spruce Creek 36, (4) Flagler Palm Coast 35.
(3) Orange City-University 31, (6) Winter Park 23.
(2) Seminole 38, (7) St. Johns-Creekside 28.
Semifinals
Friday, November 22
Class 7A-Region 1
(5) Spruce Creek vs. (1) Lake Mary at Don T. Reynolds Stadium, 7:30 p.m.
(3) Orange City-University vs. (2) Seminole at Thomas E. Whigham Stadium in the Tim Raines Athletic Complex, 7:30 p.m.
